The Boston Celtics are still the Beast of the East. Vol. Laker Nation

The Orlando Magic has been eliminated at the hands of the Big Green Monster, The Boston Celtics. The one thing that is shown during this series is Superman is really Clark Kent. The Green Machine is definitely his Kryptonite. Many experts didn’t count out the Celtics against the Heat in the first round, but the majority counted them out against LeBron and The Cavs. I did not. I was in the minority. They trashed Cleveland and gave some false hope for Orlando before eviscerating them. Give them their due; there is room for old middle aged men.

The Boston Celtics exposed Dwight Howard. This guy has all the strength, explosiveness, and physicality to dominate on both ends of the floor. His stat line got better after the abysmal game 3 performance of 7 points and 7 rebounds, but his offense remains disconcerting because it revolves around dunks and put backs. Dwight Howard’s offense has become a horrible meme – dunks and put backs. He showed some baby hooks here and there, but it’s time to go back to the drawing board with a new mentor. It’s going to be a long summer for D12.

The Celtics are ready for Kobe and the Lakers. There is nothing the Lakers can throw out that will make Boston’s defense say “Oh snap! I didn’t know you can do that. I’ve never seen that before!” Think about the path they had to go through to make the NBA Finals. They schemed against some of the best offensive players in the league with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. They faced against the best center in basketball with Dwight Howard. They’ve seen the best of the East, and perhaps, the NBA. They were not easy yet Celts didn’t have many problems. I am convinced that they can handle Kobe and Pau Gasol.

I’m not saying that the Celtics will win the Finals. I’m saying that the Celtics have proved that they can handle anything including the kitchen sink. Don’t bet against these old guys. As I’m typing this, Kobe’s Lakers are having a dandy against Steve Nash’s Suns. I expected a sweep. So did many. They are proving that no one rolls out the red carpet to the Finals. Watching the Celtics dominate teams on the road with pure tough nosed defense is fun.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ defense let opposing teams – throughout the playoff run so far- score over 100 points 9 times out of 15 games. That is bad. The Boston Celtics’ defense let opposing teams score 100 points in only 4 times out of 17 games before entering the Finals. That is very good.

The Lakers, including Laker Nation, desperately wants revenge for the 2008 Finals. Well, the Green Machine is waiting. You guys got what you wished – the best offense versus the best defense. A lot of fans believe that the Finals will have a different ending with the Lakers winning. The Kevin Garnett anchored defense looks eerily similar to that nasty 2008 defense. This is shaping up to be the same story unless the Lakers can’t get past the Western Conference Finals.

What I know is this; no matter how you spin it – Defense usually triumphs offense.